Lady Mustangs win state title
Oak Ridge 12U team are champions
SCOR Lady Mustangs player Maddie Wilburn scores the game-winning goal in the team’s state championship match against Emerald Force Everton in Murfreesboro re- cently. The Lady Mustangs prevailed 2-1 in extra time on Sunday, May 28, at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex.
But he’s never guided a high school state championship team.
Green, however, returned to the Midstate with his team, the Soccer Club of Oak Ridge Lady Mustangs, a 12U side recently.
Two matches later, the Lady Mustangs left Murfreesboro as the 12U 9v.9 Tennessee State Soccer Association state champions.
“I told the girls before we went down there that I had coached in the high school state tournament and I never won a state championship,” said Green, who will soon enter his final season as a girls’ high school coach at Oak Ridge in 2023. “I told them that they could win me my first state championship.”
And they did.
The Lady Mustangs claimed their state championship with a 2-1 victory over Emerald Force Everton on Sunday, May, 28.
The victory in the championship came over a familiar foe, as the Lady Mustangs competed in the Emerald Youth Foundation League.
The win, however, didn’t come easily for the SCOR side, as the Lady Mustangs had to edge Emerald Force Everton in extra time.
Maddie Wilburn scored the game-winning goal to propel the Lady Mustangs to the championship.
And Green couldn’t have been happier.
“Maddie scored the goal and that was a real confidence booster for her,” Green said. “She’s one of the most-skilled players on our team.
“She got it past the center back, and the girl was coming at her and she got it past her and into the goal. Emerald Everton is a big, physical team.”
Audrey Pate was credited with an assist on the game-winning goal.
The Lady Mustangs’ first goal of the title match was an unassisted marker by Aurora Morris. The story that the Lady Mustangs wrote on the soccer field was truly amazing as they finished the season with a record of 23-4-2. SCOR opened state tournament play with a 3-0 victory over Chattanooga FC on Saturday, May 27.
Lady Mustangs goalkeeper Zara Kreon had a shutout, and McKennah Slack scored twice with Wilburn assisting on both of her goals. Greer Bowman also scored an unassisted goal in that match. Kreon surrendered just one goal in the state playoffs.
The Lady Mustangs won a title and clicked on the pitch. But Green, who has coached this group of players for several years, said that this side is more than just a soccer team.
“I don’t think this all set in until we were taking pictures (after the championship game),” Green said. “But the players and the parents know my philosophy. It’s about person first and player second.
“We’re a family and it’s all about trust. This team is so close. The girls have a passion for the game and they’ve got each other’s backs. They don’t like to lose.”
Two of the team’s losses were against 14U teams.